The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without the air entrapment problem and more particularly, relates to an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without the air entrapment problem by simultaneously drawing vacuum from the surface of the ventilated platen during the adhesion process in a clam-shell tool and a method for using the tool.
In the manufacturing of articles, a protective film is frequently adhered onto a machine part to protect it from scratching or electrostatic discharge (or arcing). For instance, one of such application is the use of a dielectric film of polymeric base that is adhered onto the surface of a metal chamber component to provide arc resistance. The electrical insulating nature of the dielectric film prevents the accumulation of electrostatic charges on the metal surface and thus, avoids the occurrence of arcing.
In semiconductor manufacturing, a polyimide or polyester based electrical insulating film is frequently used to protect a process chamber component from plasma damage due to arcing such that the lifetime of the chamber component can be extended. Without the protected film covering the metal surface, the surface will become pitted after extended usage in a plasma atmosphere. In other instances, a protective film may be adhered to a metal part to protect the part from chemical attack due to exposure to corrosive gases or liquids.
Conventionally, a dielectric film or an insulating film is adhered to a chamber component by first coating the backside of the dielectric film with an adhesive and then applying the film to the chamber component by hand and subsequently, using a hand operated tool such as a roller to roll the dielectric film surface to remove air bubbles entrapped between the dielectric film and the chamber component. This is shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C.
A chamber component 10, of a ventilated platen from a plasma process chamber is first placed in a horizontal position, as shown in FIG. 1A, for the hand application of an insulating film 12 on the top surface 14 of the platen. Since the film 12 is applied by hand, numerous air bubbles 16 are entrapped in-between the dielectric film 12 and the top surface 14 of the ventilated platen 10. After the hand application of the film on top of the ventilated platen, a roller 20 is used to roll the film 12 from one edge 22 of the platen 10 to the opposite edge 24 of the platen. While the roller 20 may squeeze out some entrapped air bubbles, a number of air bubbles 16 still remain. This is shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C. Note that the ventilated platen 10 is provided with a plurality of vent apertures 18 through the thickness of the platen. The hand rolling technique shown in FIGS. 1A-1C further causes a problem that the surface of the dielectric film is frequently scratched by the hand rolling operation.
In the plasma process chamber for semiconductor materials, a reaction byproduct of a polymeric film is frequently deposited on top of the ventilated platen 10, i.e. on top of the dielectric film 12. This is shown in FIG. 2. The polymeric film 26 deposited becomes easily dislodged from the surface of the dielectric film 12 and causes chamber contamination. The falling off of the polymeric film 26 becomes more severe as the thickness of the polymeric film deposited becomes thicker when the plasma process chamber has been used for a prolonged period of time. The chamber contamination problem caused by the presence of air bubbles 16 entrapped between the dielectric film 12 and the ventilated platen 10 severely affects the yield of the plasma process and therefore must be prevented.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without the drawbacks or shortcomings of the conventional apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without any air entrapment problem in-between the film and the platen.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen by utilizing a specially designed clam-shell fixture for the adhesion process.
It is another further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without air entrapment problems by withdrawing vacuum from the ventilated platen during the adhesion process.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without any air entrapment problem by using a tool body and a tool lid that are connected together in a clam-shell configuration.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without any air entrapment problem by withdrawing air in-between the film and the platen simultaneously with the bonding of the film to the platen.
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus and a method for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without air entrapment problems are disclosed.
In a preferred embodiment, an apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without air entrapment problem can be provided which includes a tool body that has a cavity therein defined by a contiguous sidewall that has a planar top surface and a bottom wall that has at least one aperture therethrough, the cavity is adapted for receiving the ventilated platen and for exposing a top surface of the platen; a tool lid that has a shape substantially similar to a planar area of the tool body, the tool lid has an inner surface for mounting the flexible film thereon and a sealing means mounted on the inner surface along a peripheral edge of the lid; and a hinge means connecting an edge of the tool body to an edge of the tool lid for sealingly engaging the two parts together in a clam-shell configuration with the sealing means on the tool lid engaging the planar top surface of the contiguous sidewall of the tool body and, with a vacuum pulled from the at least one aperture in the bottom wall of the tool body such that the flexible film can be transferred to and adheres on the top surface of the ventilated platen by an adhesive layer pre-deposited on the flexible film.
In the apparatus for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without air entrapment, the tool body and the tool lid both have a circular shape. The ventilated platen may be a chamber lid for a plasma process chamber and the flexible film may be an arc-resistant film. The sealing means may be an O-ring, while the ventilated platen may have a plurality of vent holes therethrough in fluid communication with the at least one aperture in the bottom wall of the tool body. The tool lid may further include a handle means on an outer surface to facilitate the transfer of the flexible film from the tool lid to the ventilated platen.
The present invention is further directed to a method for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without air entrapment problems which can be carried out by the operating steps of providing a tool body that has a cavity therein defined by a contiguous sidewall that has a planar top surface and a bottom wall that has at least one aperture therethrough; positioning the ventilated platen in the cavity, then exposing a top surface of the platen; providing a tool lid that has a shape substantially similar to a planar area of the tool body; mounting the flexible film on an inner surface of the tool lid facing the tool body and a sealing means on the inner surface along a peripheral edge of the lid; connecting a hinge means to an edge of the tool body and an edge of the tool lid for sealingly engaging the two parts together in a clam-shell configuration and engaging the sealing means on the tool lid to the planar top surface of the contiguous sidewall of the tool body; and withdrawing air from the at least one aperture in the bottom wall of the tool body while engaging the tool lid to the tool body in a clam-shell manner and transferring the flexible film to the ventilated platen by an adhesive layer pre-deposited on the flexible film.
The method for adhering a flexible film to a ventilated platen without air entrapment may further include the step of mounting a sealing means of an O-ring on the inner surface along a peripheral edge of the lid, or the step of providing the tool body and the tool lid in a circular shape, or the step of supplying the flexible film in an arc-resistant film. The method may further include the step of providing the ventilated platen with a plurality of vent holes for establishing fluid communication with the at least one aperture in the bottom wall of the tool body. The method may further include the step of mounting a handle means on an outer surface of the tool lid, or the step of pushing down the tool lid by the handle means mounted thereon to engage the tool body, or the step of engaging the tool lid to the tool body from one edge of the tool body to an opposite edge of the tool body. The method may further include the step of coating an adhesive layer on one side of the flexible film.